INTRODUCTION: IT IS GOOD TO BE BACK WITH YOU. APPRECIATE GREG AND PAT TEACHING THE LESSON FOR ME WHEN I WAS GONE.


LETS REVIEW. AS A RESULT OF A DECREE BY CYRUS, UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF ZERUBBABEL AND JOSHUA SOME OF GOD’S PEOPLE MOVED BACK TO JERUSALEM AND STARTED TO REBUILD THE TEMPLE THAT HAD BEEN DESTROYED BY THE BABYLONIANS. THEIR NEW (OLD) NEIGHBORS OFFERRED TO HELP, BUT THE GOD’S PEOPLE DECLINED THE OFFER AND WORKED TO REBUILD THE TEMPLE ALONE. THAT EXCITED OPPOSITION TO THE BUILDING BY THESE NEIGHBORS.


THE OPPOSITION DISCOURAGED THE JEWS FROM REBUILDING THE TEMPLE AND THE CITY. CHAPTER 4, WHICH IS WHAT YOU DISCUSSED LAST WEEK, IS A SUMMARY OF ALL OF THE PROBLEMS THAT THE JEWS FACED.


AS YOU LEARNED LAST WEEK, NOT ONLY WERE THE JEWS DISCOURAGED, BUT A GREAT DEAL OF THE PROBLEM WITH REBUILDING THE TEMPLE AND THE CITY OF JERUSALEM WAS THAT THE LOCAL OPPOSITION WERE WRITING LETTERS TO THE ASSYRIAN KING WARNING THAT GOD’S PEOPLE WERE TROUBLEMAKERS AND THAT ONE LOOK AT HISTORY WOULD CONVINCE THE KING OF THAT. LAST WEEK YOU DISCUSSED THE LETTER FROM REHUM AND SHIMSHAI. THE KING DID TAKE OUT THE HISTORY BOOKS, DECIDED THAT REHUM WAS RIGHT AND STOPPED THE REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE. (WHAT YOU STUDIED LAST WEEK IS PARITIALLY OUT OF ORDER CHRONOLOGICALLY.)


THIS WEEK WE LOOK AT HOW THE WORK STARTED AGAIN AND ANOTHER LETTER WRITING PROBLEM. SO LETS GET INTO IT!


  1. CONNECTION BETWEEN HEARING GOD’S WORD AND MOVING FORWARD.


    1. READ EZRA 5:1-2. THE TEXT SAYS HAGGAI AND ZECHARIAH PROPHECIED AND ZERUBBABEL AND JOSHUA STARTED WORK.


      1. WE HAVE TWO PROBLEMS HERE: THE PEOPLE WERE DISCOURAGED AND THEY HAD STOPPED WORKING. a.IS THERE A CONNECTION BETWEEN PRESENTING GOD’S WORD AND GETTING THE PEOPLE MOVING? b. WHAT IS IT?

      2. PUTTING THIS IN TODAY’S CONTEXT: DOES CHURCH ATTENDENCE AND DISCUSSING THE BIBLE TOGETHER HERE HELP US?

      3. DOES THAT COMBAT DISCOURAGEMENT?

      4. DOES IT GET US ON OUR FEET?

      5. IS BIBLE STUDY AND LISTENING TO OTHERS SHARE GOD’S WORD A CRITICAL PART TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH?

      6. DID YOU NOTICE THAT IT SAYS “THE PROPHETS OF GOD WERE WITH THEM HELPING THEM?” IS THERE A LESSON IN THAT FOR TODAY? (JUST SHARING THE WORD OF GOD IS NOT ENOUGH. GETTING IN THERE AND LAYING A FEW BRICKS FURTHER ENCOURAGES THE PEOPLE.)

    2. READ EZRA 5:3-4. THIS IS OFFICIAL BUSINESS: THE GOVERNOR SHOWS UP, ALONG WITH ANOTHER PERSON THAT IS IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO HAVE HIS NAME RECORDED AND THEIR ASSOCIATES. 1. WHAT TWO QUESTIONS DID THEY ASK? (A) WHO AUTHORIZED YOU TO DO THIS? B) WHAT IS YOUR NAME SO WE CAN GIVE IT TO DARIUS?)

    3. LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT DARIUS. HERODOTUS REPORTED THAT DARIUS, WHEN HE BUT DOWN A REBELLION IN BABYLON CRUCIFIED 3,000 OF THE LEADING CITIZENS OF THAT CITY!

      1. WOULD YOU WANT YOUR NAME TURNED OVER TO DARIUS?


    4. READ v. 5. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE THE EYE OF THE LORD UPON YOU? (THAT THE LORD WAS WATCHING OUT FOR THEM.

      1. WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE PROBLEM IF THEY HAD TO WAIT ON THE BUILDING UNTIL THEY GOT AN “OK” FROM DARIUS.)



  2. THE LETTER TO DARIUS.


    1. THE NEXT READING IS LONG, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD KEEP IT TOGETHER SO STAY WITH ME. READ 5:6-17.


    2. PRESUMABLY THE GOVERNOR COULD HAVE WRITTEN ANY LETTER HE WANTED. AS YOU LISTENED TO HIS LETTER DID YOU CONCLUDE THAT HE WAS JUST DOING HIS JOB OR WAS HE HOSTILE TO THE JEWS AND WHAT THEY WERE DOING? (THE GOV’S LETTER SEEMS PRETTY IMPARTIAL TO ME.)

      1. WHAT DO YOU THINK THE USE OF “HUGE STONES” IN THE BUILDING EXCITED CONCERN? (WERE THEY BUILDING A TEMPLE OR A FORTRESS?)


    3. LETS FOCUS ON WHAT GOD’S PEOPLE SAID TO THE GOV. DID GOD’S PEOPLE MAKE ANY EXCUSES FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?

      1. DID THEY BLAME GOD FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM? (v.11- 12) (NO. THEY JUST SAID THEY SCREWED UP AND THEY BECAME CAPTIVES. GOD WAS NOT AT FAULT, THEY WERE AT FAULT.)


    4. READ 6:1-3. DID THEY FIND THE ROYAL DECREE IN BABYLON? (NO. IN ECBATANA)

      1. IF YOU WERE ONE OF THE JEWS WOULD YOU CONSIDER IT LIKELY THAT DARIUS WOULD JUST MAKE A DECISION ON HIS OWN WHEN IT WAS NOT FOUND IN BABYLON?


      2. WHAT DO WE SEE ABOUT THE NATURE OF DARIUS IN THIS STORY? (FIRST, THAT HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT CYRUS HAD DONE. SO HE WAS WILLING TO LEARN FROM GREAT LEADERS OF THE PAST. AND SECOND, THAT HE WAS PERSISTENT OR THOROUGH.)

      3. CYRUS USED TO TRAVEL WITH THE SEASONS FROM ONE CAPITAL CITY TO ANOTHER. HE USED TO SPEND HIS SUMMERS IN ECBATANA. (WHICH IS IN NORTHERN IRAN AND TODAY HAS THE NAME “HAMADAN.”)

    5. LETS READ THE DECREE THAT WAS FOUND: 6:3-5. WHAT DO WE FIND ABOUT THE LARGE STONES AND THE TIMBERS IN THE WALLS? (THAT THEY WERE EXPRESSLY AUTHORIZED. SO THE VERY THINK THAT WORRIED THE GOVERNOR IS NOW FOUND TO BE EXACTLY WITHIN THE LETTER OF THE DECREE.)

    6. LETS READ WHAT DARIUS NOW WRITES AFTER HIS QUOTATION OF THE CYRUS DECREE THAT HAD BEEN FOUND. READ 6:6-12.

    7. NOW, DID THE JEWS END UP BETTER OR WORSE THAN THEY STARTED? (MUCH BETTER. THEY WERE OBVIOUSLY DOING THIS WITHOUT THE FINANCIAL HELP OF THE STATE BECAUSE THE GOVERNOR PREVIOUSLY KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THE PAST DECREE. NOW THEY HAVE THE FINANCIAL HELP OF THE STATE AND A DECREE WHICH FORBIDS ANY INTERFERENCE.)

    8. IS THIS A PRINCIPLE THAT YOU HAVE FOUND TO BE TRUE THROUGH EXPERIENCE? THAT THE DEVIL THROWS SOMETHING IN YOUR WAY, BUT GOD TAKES THE EVIL THAT WAS INTENDED AND MAKES SOMETHING EVEN BETTER FOR THOSE WHO ARE FAITHFUL TO HIM? (MARGIES JOB IN SOUTHERN ATLANTA. BAD TURNED OUT TO BE GOOD. MISSED BANKRUPTCY AND GOT TO TEACH IN THE SCHOOL ATTACHED TO THE CHURCH THAT I HAD ATTENDED.)

      1. CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN THE PENALTY FOR INTERFERENCE? (IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER WE ARE TALKING ABOUT CRUCIFIXION OR IMPALING. THE ARAMAIC READS LITERALLY, “AND LIFTED UP HE SHALL BE SMITTEN UPON IT.” WHATEVER, IT INVOLVES DESTROYING A MANS HOUSE, AND THEN USING PART OF THE HOUSE TO DESTROY HIM.)


    9. READ 6:13-16, 22. THE AMAZING THING IS THAT THE TEMPLE WAS FINISHED WITHIN 4.5 YEARS OF HAGGIA’S FIRST CALL TO ACTION ON THIS.)

  3. NEXT WEEK: EZRA 7 & 8.